Preservation Society mid-year report

The return of Frenchay Community News, once again being delivered to every household in Frenchay after two months in isolation due to Covid-19, is one welcome sign that ‘lockdown’ is gradually being eased.

However, we are a long way from getting back to normal ( old or new) with many of Frenchay’s planned summer events from VE-day commemorations at the museum to the Frenchay Flower Show in July having to be cancelled due to the on-going requirements for social and physical distancing.

One of the cancelled events is our usual June (half-year) public meeting and because of government regulations introduced in March, your committee has only managed to meet once so far this year, in February. As a result, various projects discussed at last year’s AGM, such as the formation of a ‘Friends Group’ and developing a database of members have not progressed very far. Fortunately, links with Frenchay Residents Association (FRA) continue to be reinforced by joint working on ‘all things Frenchay’.

Also, as many will know, four of the FPS committee members sit on the Parish Council at Winterbourne which has managed to adapt to electronic meetings twice a month, thanks to the organisation and efficiency of the office staff at The Greenfield Centre.

During the recent good weather, this gang of four, namely Paul Kembery, Charlie Watkins, Adrian Collins and myself have instituted a monthly walk-about to keep an eye on what is happening on our patch and to liaise with South Glos Council, Redrow and NBHT as and when necessary. Please refer to FRA Report No. 68 by Adrian Collins.

My brief update would not be complete without a big ’thank you’ to David Fletcher, who decided to stand down from the FPS committee in 2020 after many years of service to Frenchay, including a long spell as a very informative chairman of the planning committee at Winterbourne Parish Council.

So in conclusion, I still hope that we may be able to hold an AGM in November and, in the meantime, offer best wishes for staying safe and enjoying Frenchay over the summer months.

Hugh Whatley (Chair, FPS)